I have been
asked the following questions about fluoridation of drinking water.

Q: What is
fluoride? How and why do they put it in the drinking water in some cities?

A: In 1931,
fluorides, compounds of the element fluorine, were reported to prevent
cavities. Within 20 years of the discovery, drinking water was being fluoridated
by many U.S. communities. One standard method of fluoridation is to have
a volumetric feeder system in which fluoride compounds are put into the
water on a continuous basis. The amount of fluoride added fluctuates based
on the community's water usage, with more fluoride being added during
periods of high water use. Typically the state health department regulates
how much and at what flow rate fluoridation chemicals are put into the
water supply.

Q: How does
a city get permission to put chemicals like that into our water?

A: As with
many other practices and procedures that affect people in a community,
variations can be found among cities and states. In some instances the
local citizenry voted, as many as 50 years ago, to have their water fluoridated.
Officials elected to city and county councils have also undoubtedly made
the decision in other instances. Such a decision can, of course, be overturned,
depending on local voting protocols, and the fluoridation process terminated.

Q: Does fluoride
put into municipal water supplies really do any good, and is it safe to
drink?

A: Some sources
say that the fluoridation of drinking waters in cities is an excellent
way to reduce cavities in the general populace. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) website lists the fluoridation of drinking
water as one of "ten great public health achievements" in the
United States during the 20th century. According to the CDC, the process
of putting fluoride in water began in 1945, and by the beginning of the
present century fluoride was being consumed by more than 140 million people.
The CDC states that fluoridation is a safe and inexpensive mechanism to
prevent tooth decay in all the adults and children of a community. They
cite a book, "Dentistry, Dental Practice, and the Community,"
by Brian A. Burt and Steven A. Eklund indicating that fluoridation has
reduced tooth decay by as much as 70 percent in children and decreased
tooth loss by more than 50 percent in adults.

On the other
side of the issue are those who advocate against the use of fluoride.
One book on the topic is "The Case Against Fluoride: How Hazardous
Waste Ended Up in Our Drinking Water and the Bad Science and Powerful
Politics That Keep It There" by Paul Connett, James Beck, and H.
S. Micklem. A review of this book by Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate,
political activist, and four-time presidential candidate, said that the
"characterizations of science and democracy are the reasons for reading
this book. Especially if you and your family are drinking administratively
mandated fluoridated water." Another book with a similar bent is
called "The Fluoride Deception" by Christopher Bryson. Either
of these sounds like they would provide the ammunition for someone searching
for the darker side of municipal water fluoridation.

I have not
read any of these books, pro or con, and do not know if the facts given
and the positions taken are plausible or not. I did ask six ecologists
with a background in chemistry, environmental health or biology what they
knew about the merits of municipal fluoridation of drinking water. All
admitted knowing too little to take a strong position one way or the other.

This is an
intriguing topic, and it has generated intense feelings on both sides
of the issue. Like the ecologists I spoke with while writing this column,
I do not have enough information to take a well-researched position for
or against fluoridation of municipal water supplies. But clearly information
is available for those who want to do their homework before deciding whether
fluoride in the water is a boon or a curse.